Method and device for handling means for payment and means for payment

ABSTRACT

In a novel financial transaction system, a consumer exchanges payment means for goods or services provided by a retailer. The retailer then feeds the payment means, which may be in the form of bills or coinage, into a device which reads the value of the payment means. The value is transmitted to a financial institution for crediting to the account of the retailer. The retailer then destroys the payment means. The monetary value may be sent to the financial institution by electronic transmission, or may be written to a smart card. For security purposes, the information may be encrypted to require at least one code to allow writing and/or reading.

The present invention relates to a method for handling payment meanscomprising receipt of payment means and registering payment means valuein a bank or the corresponding. The invention also refers to a devicefor payment means handling and payment means.

In department stores, shops, transport facilities, bank officies and thecorresponding bills and coins are received in large amounts as payment.In order for the recipient to gain the monetary value of the paymentmeans in a bank office or the corresponding these must be transported tothe bank or the corresponding. The problem is in principle the same fortaxis, shops, like 7 Eleven, hot dog stands etc.

Value transports constitute today a very big problem and are associatedwith extremely high costs. Value transport companies must pay largedamages both for thefts performed by the employees of the companies andfor the mistakes of the personel and for traffic, vehicle andresponsability insurances. An American company shows annual costs ofthis kind in the order of 18 million dollars. Another problem is societycosts due to the need of police supervision, physical and psycichaldamages at robberies, which often are armed, and personal tragedies andsufferings.

The present invention constitutes a solution to the above describedproblems.

Below the invention is described in more detail in association withexamples of embodiment of a device according to the invention and theaccompanying drawing, where

FIG. 1 schematically shows a principle example over a first embodimentof a device according to the invention,

FIG. 2 schematically shows a first embodiment of a device for decidingthe money value of bills and for destroying the bills,

FIG. 3 schematically shows one embodiment of a payment means in billform according to the invention and

FIG. 4 schematically shows a further embodiment of a payment means inbill form according to the invention.

In FIG. 1 the numeral 1 designates payment means, in the followingcalled bills, which are in circulation and which are received as paymentin e.g. a department store or the corresponding business, which daylyreceives a lot of bills. The numeral 2 designates devices for receivingbills 1 and to decide and in a suitable form register the origin andmoney value of the bills and the numeral 3 designates destructiondevices for destroying the bills after that their money value has beendecided. The devices 2 can of course also be arranged for receivingcoins 1A, which, however, preferably are not intended to be destroyed.

Further, according to the shown embodiment, devices 4 are provided fortransmitting the money value of the payment means to a write- andreadable value carrier 4′, whereby said value carrier is intended to beread by a read unit placed in e.g. a bank 5 or the corresponding,whereby the value carried by the value carrier, can be gained by theproprietor.

The devices for performing the method described can be designed in anumber of ways, which is described in more detail below.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 the devices 2, 3, 4 comprises feed-inopenings 6 for different bill denominations, whereby the bills areordered before they are fed to the devices. The valuation devices 2comprises devices for origin control and counting the bills 1 and aregistering unit, such as a memory unit, for documentation of theaccumulated value of supplied bills before they are destroyed by meansof the destruction devices. Complements may be provided for receipt andvaluation of coins.

Documentation and transmission of the accumulated value of the paymentmeans to a bank or the corresponding may also be performed in differentways. According to a preferred embodiment is the registered valueintended to be transmitted to a value carrier of the type smart card, ie a value carrier, which is write- and readable in electric/electronicway. It is preferred that the transmission is blocked in such a way thattransmission of the value to the value carrier is not executed until atleast one code is supplied by the proprietor of the value carrier. Thevalue carrier is intended to be transported to a bank or thecorresponding realisation establishment for realisation of the carriedvalue, whereby it can be transformed into bills, be entered into adesired account etc. according to the preference of the proprietor. Thevalue carrier is hereby arranged to be read by means of devices meantfor this and hereby released from the carried value. Also the reading ispreferable blocked in such a way that the reading is not possible untilat least one code has been supplied to the reading devices. It ispreferred that two codes should be supplied, one by the proprietor andone by the realisation establishment. Embodiments can also be imaginedwhere a code is supplied only by the realisation establishment but wherereading can be performed only be means of a so-called IR-key, the IR-keybeing adapted to the value carrier by means of a code carried by thevalue carrier.

Further blocks can also be imagined to be provided. The transmission tothe value carrier, e.g. can be blocked in such a way that bothregistering of bill value and destruction and eventual further controlssuch as silver thread control, should be detected in order fortransmission to occur.

It is preferred that a receipt is provided by the realisationestablishment and, in applicable cases, continuous account extracts.

More simple procedures than the one described above can also beimagined. Thus, the devices 4 may comprise devices for printing ofreceipts, which may be supplied to a bank or the corresponding. Further,the devices 4 may be arranged so that the value is transmittedelectrically/electronically in a known way via e.g. telecommunication tothe realisation establishment.

A reception unit 2, 3, 4 may be a central unit for e.g. a departmentstore and hereby be supplied with bills for valuation etc. supplied attseveral different reception sites, such as cashiers. Reception units forbills may also be provided in a decentralized system, such as one ateach cashier or the corresponding, not shown, whereby informationconcerning value suitably is supplied to a central registering unit orthe corresponding for documentation of accumulated bill value andexternal communication.

Within the scope of the invention are different methods and devices fordestruction of payment means, especially bills, and different designsfor payment means, especially bills. Within the scope of the inventionare also an adaption of payment means material to the method ofdestruction and vice versa.

The following constitutes four preferred embodiments of destruction(degradation) method/payment means:

A. Thermal destruction of present material by means of e.g. micro waveheating

B. Photochemical destruction of present material by means of e.g. UVradiation

C. Thermal destruction of polymeric material of the type OPP (orientedpolypropene) (such as according to UCB Films/Reserve Bank of Australia)

D. Photochemical destruction of polymeric material of the type OPP bymeans of UV radiation.

In all cases there exists a possibility of quantifying both denominationand number, eventually by means of second order non-linear optics.

A. By present material is here meant primarily bill paper. Thedestruction mechanism is in this case based upon an elevatedtemperature, whereby the destruction devices 3 are arranged to providean elevation of the temperature corresponding to burning of thematerial. According to preferred embodiments is an elevated temperatureintended to be provided by heating by means of micro waves in asubstantialy known way, whereby the destruction devices 3 comprises atleast one micro wave cavity and substantially known devices forgenerating micro waves of necessary energy. Also other arrangements,e.g. electrical and/or for IR radiation can be imagined for providingthe temperature necessary for destruction.

B. By present material is also in this case meant primarily bill papaer.The destruction mechanism is in this case based upon radiation by meansof ultraviolet light, UV light, whereby the destruction devices 3comprises substantially known devices for providing UV light.

C. According to preferred embodiments the payment means, the bills, aresubstantially made of a polymeric material, which is comparativelyeasy-to-destruct by elevated temperature e.g. oriented polypropene, OPP,or a similar material.

Thermal destruction takes place by elevation of the temperature to alevel such that extensive chain rupture takes place in the material. Thedestruction devices 3 comprise in this case, not shown, devices for theprovision of an elevated temperature and may be used upon heating bymeans of e.g. electricity, micro waves, IR readiation etc. in asubstantially known way. In order to heat OPP by micro waves thematerial comprises maleine acid anhydride.

D. Thus, according to the last mentioned preferred embodiments the billsare substantially made of polymeric material and intended and arrangedto be destructed by radiation by means of UV light of sufficient energyto generate chain rupture in the material. One example of suitablematerial is OPP or a similar material. The destruction devices 3comprises hereby, not shown, devices for generating the UV lightnecessary.

Thus, according to preferred embodiments the payment means aresubstantially made of polymeric material, one or more, and a greatnumber of destruction or degradation mechanisms are hereby possible inorder to provide property changes to such an extent that non-usabilityas payment means shall be considered to have been obtained. According tothe invention these mechanisms can be used one at a time or incombination with one or more of the other mechanisms. The followingconstitutes basic destruction- or degradation mechanism for polymericmaterials, where all mechanisms of influence may destroy the physicalproperties of the polymeric material by change of colour, change ofshape, embrittlement etc.:

thermal influcence

influence by light

atmospheric influence

hydrolysis

bio influence

Especially preferred as polymeric bill material are materials from thegroup polyolefines, in particular polypropene, polyethene andmetallocenes among others.

Polypropene is preferred in the form OPP, oriented polypropene, and aparticularly preferred embodiment is a bill material developed forAustralian dollars by British UCB Films in cooperation with Reserve Bankof Australie, as described in Plastforurri No. 3, 1997. As an UV lightsource for both the curing of printing colour and the photochemicaldestruction of polymeric bill material high intensive UV lamps developedby Fusion UV Systems, USA, are preferred in many cases.

This material offers important advantages in the form of about 4 timeslonger life compared to present bills and recirculability of thematerial. A general advantage associated with oriented polymericmaterials for bills is that shrinking occurs at a certain elevatedtemperature, which shrinkage in practice constitutes a destruction.

Another imagineable material for bills is a polyethene materialdeveloped by Polyart, Sweden.

In FIG. 3 the numeral 1′ designates a bill, a payment means in billform, which comprises an automatically readable information carrier 7,where said information comprises, among other things, the denominationof the bill. The information carrier may be of a magnetic, known kind oranother suitable known kind. According to one embodiment the billcomprises a post (after) control part 8 intended to be disconnected fromthe rest of the bill for post control. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4the information carrier comprises an automatically readable code in theform of so-called bar code.

The method according to the invention as well as the function of thedevice and th payment means according to the invention should to asubstantial part have been disclosed above.

The monetary value of payment means received as payment in a departmentstore or the like is decided whereafter at least bills are destroyed.Said value is documented and the value is transmitted to a bank or thecorresponding for the gain of the recipient of the payment means.Destroyed bills are replaced, when applicable and desired, by means ofnew printed bills 1″, as indicated in FIG. 1.

As should be obvious from the description above, the need for externaland with the above described problems associated value transports areeliminated substantially totally by means of the invention.

Above the invention has been described in association with examples ofembodiments.

Of course further embodiments and minor changes and complements can beimagined without leaving the basic inventive idea.

The invention comprises two important parts apart from the transmissionof registered value, namely the identification of denomination, numberand origin and destruction.

Apart from methods and devices for identification of present bills knowntoday, among other things by means of new development of bills as far asmaterial is concerned, new identification methods and dito devices maybe imagined for decision regarding origin and/or denomination. Someimaginable mechanisms are the following:

chemiluminiscence, whereby the bill material comprises one or moresubstances, which, as a result of generated chemical energy, generateslight, which can be detected and wave-lenght measured for identificationpurposes,

photochromism, whereby the bill material comprises one or moresubstances, which change colour when lit upon, where the change ofcolour can be detected for identification purposes,

piezochromism, whereby the bill material comprises one or morematerials, which change colour when put under pressure, where the changeof colour can be detected for identification purposes,

thermochromism, whereby the bill material comprises one or moresubstances, which change colour with temperature, where the change ofcolour can be detected for identification purposes, and

depolymerization of polymers used within photoresist technology.

The above identified mechanisms relate substantially to polymericmaterials.

Thus, the devices for decision regarding the money value of receivedbills can be designed in several ways depending on, among other things,the desired degree of automation. Thus, the devices may comprise billcounters of the kind used today by banks etc.

Further development of bills can also be imagined, where one approachesdisposable bills, i.e. bills of a more simple and cheaper kind than thebills of today, without, however, deleting the possibilities of origincontrol.

Payment means shall here be given a broad interpretation and may, apartfrom bills and coins, be other kinds of documents of value, such aslottery, coupons etc. which according to the invention wholly or partlyare destructed at a suitable stage of the handling process, wherebypayment may be motivated by collection or the corresponding.

The method and the device according to the invention can be supplementedby different kinds of control arrangements. Thus, destroyed bills may bymeans of suitable devices be accurately weighed, not shown, forcomparison with the money value decided upon.

As far as destruction is concerned purely mechanical devices, e.g. ofthe kind document destroyer, may be imagined.

Thus, the invention shall not be considered restricted to theembodiments and variations discussed above, but may be varied within thescope of the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for accomplishing payment comprising thesteps of: receipt of payment means by a provider of goods or services;registration of a monetary value of the payment means; destruction ofall of the payment means received and registered; and transmission ofonly data representing said monetary value of the received, registered,and destroyed payment means to a financial institution.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, comprising the further step of printing new payment meanshaving a monetary value corresponding to the monetary value of thedestroyed payment means.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein saidtransmission and registration are performed electronically.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the transmission step includes writing themonetary value of the payment means to a smart card.
 5. The method ofclaim 4, wherein the transmission step further comprises transferringthe smart card to the financial institution for credit of the monetaryvalue of the amount written to the smart card.
 6. The method of claim 4,wherein said steps of writing to the smart card and reading of the smartcard require the provision of at least one code.
 7. The method of claim1, wherein the destruction step includes thermic destruction of thepayment means by UV radiation.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein thedestruction step includes photochemical destruction of the payment meansby UV radiation.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the destruction stepincludes destroying the payment means by UV radiation provided by a highintensity UV light.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the payment meanssubstantially comprises polymeric material, and wherein the destructionstep comprises at least one of thermal influence, influence by light,atmospheric influence, hydrolysis, and bio influence.
 11. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the registration step comprises identification of thepayment means by at least one of chemiluminescence, photochromism,piezochromism, thermochromism, and depolymerization of polymers used inphotoresist technology.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein theregistration step and the destruction step are performed centrally bythe provider of goods or services.
 13. The method of claim 1, whereinthe registration step and the destruction step are performed at plurallocations by the provider of goods or services.
 14. The method of claim13, wherein the registration and destruction steps are performed at aplurality of cashier locations.
 15. A device for use in a financialtransaction with a provider of goods or services including the transferof payment means, comprising: a payment means reader capable ofreceiving a payment means and identifying and recording a monetary valueof the payment means; a payment means destruction device adapted toreceive said payment means from the payment means reader and destroy allsaid payment means received and identified; and a transmission mechanismadapted to store the monetary value of the payment means destroyed bythe destruction device so that the monetary value can be read by afinancial institution and credited to the provider of goods or services.16. The device of claim 15, wherein the transmission mechanism isadapted to electronically store the value of the destroyed paymentmeans.
 17. The device of claim 15, wherein the transmission mechanism isadapted to electronically store the value of the destroyed payment meansto a smart card.
 18. The device of claim 17, wherein the smart card isadapted to be read by the financial institution.
 19. The device of claim17, wherein the smart card is adapted so that information regarding themonetary value can be written to and read from the smart card only if atleast one code is provided.
 20. The device of claim 15, wherein thedestruction device is adapted to destroy the payment means thermally byUV radiation.
 21. The device of claim 15, wherein the destruction deviceis adapted to destroy the payment means by exposing the payment means tohigh intensity UV light.
 22. The device of claim 15, wherein thedestruction device is adapted to destroy the payment means by exposingthe payment means to microwaves.
 23. The device of claim 15, wherein thedestruction device is adapted to destroy the payment means by exposingthe payment means to at least one of thermal influence, light influence,atmospheric influence, hydrolysis, and bio influence.
 24. A system foraccomplishing financial transactions between a consumer and a providerof goods or services, wherein the consumer provides payment means to theprovider in exchange for goods or services, the provider inserts thepayment means into a payment means reader which identifies a monetaryvalue of the payment means, the payment means reader transfers thepayment to a destruction device which destroys the payment means, andthe monetary value of the payment means is transmitted to a financialinstitution to be credited to an account of the provider.
 25. The systemof claim 24, wherein the transmission to the financial institution isaccomplished electronically.
 26. The system of claim 24, wherein thevalue of the payment means is written to a smart card, which is thenprovided to the financial institution.
 27. The system of claim 24,wherein the provider has only one said payment means reader and saiddestruction device within a building.
 28. The system of claim 24,wherein the provider has one said payment means reader and saiddestruction device at each cashier location.